Relational database products, which are used in computer systems, now support nontraditional column datatypes such as audio and video. As used here, the term "computer systems" encompasses the widest possible meaning and includes, but is not limited to, standalone processors, networked processors, mainframe processors, processors in a client/server relationship, and embedded processors. When object oriented applications access rows of relational tables, the data value of the cell is retrieved into an object. The object makes available the value of the nontraditional datatype, but the manipulation of the value via behaviors or methods of the object is not accommodated. Such manipulation presently is possible only through calls to the database server. Thus, object oriented applications programs cannot access and manipulate nontraditional type data values from relational tables according to the object oriented programming paradigm.